I had a request to get a press release after work Monday for this week’s paper.
I said I needed it by 5 p.m. Monday, which is later than we normally accept articles.
We live in a havoc-filled atmosphere on Mondays, particularly late Monday afternoons.
We’re down to the last 2-3 pages at six and have written all of the articles for this week’s paper.
We have to send everything by 7 a.m. Tuesday, so we can pick up the paper before noon in Houston.
As I write this, I’m already wrestling how I’ll fit everything on Page 1 and Page 2, jump page.
That decision comes early around 4-5 a.m. Tuesday.
This week was unusual, but then all newspapers tend to be different because of the different stories and photos.
This week’s paper has coverage from last week’s heavy rains and some photos and story from the church fire on Avenue B.
We have coverage from last week’s city council and BCISD board meetings, and State Rep. AJ Louderback’s speech at the Bay City Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture.
Let’s not forget AgriLife’s crop tour, Soil & Water Conservation (feral hogs), Commissioners Court, Matagorda County Youth Charities, and Juneteenth closings.
There are several stories inside I didn’t mention because they don’t weigh on my late Monday or early Tuesday worrying.
I know everybody has challenges to deal with in their jobs.
And I been a jagged deadline-driven guy most of my life, as a probably picked it up from my newspaper publisher father.
So I’ll get up at 3 a.m. Tuesday, make coffee to get a little caffeine assistance for the final loop around the track.
I’ll try not to spill coffee on the keyboard, since that brought family-wide retribution. Deservedly so, it seems.
I’m writing this to give readers and those who have articles to share an idea why we preach getting information to us early in the day Monday.
When we started the Sentinel in 2014, the paper wasn’t due at the printer until Tuesday afternoon with a Wednesday print day.
I miss that schedule, since it allowed us to get more items in the paper.
But printers change – or sell out to something else as one printing company did.
But this is the hand we’re dealt and I guess deadlines won’t ever become a joyful term in my life.
